Classic Sci Fi TV: Our ongoing look back at many of the classics of science fiction and fantasy television.
What Is It? This series is based on the comic book character of the same name and follows the Batman’s crusade against crime in Gotham City. He is aided by Police Commissioner Gordon as well as Robin and Batgirl and fights against arch-villains such as the Joke, Penguin, the Riddler, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, and more.
Aired: FOX, 1992-95, 2 Seasons Totaling 85 Episodes
Starring: Kevin Conroy, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Bob Hastings, Robert Costanzo, Loren Lester, Mark Hamill
Created By: Eric Radomski, Bruce Timm
Is It Must-Watch Sci Fi? Yes. This show takes inspiration from the Tim Burton films and delivers the definitive television version of Dark Knight along with his infamous rogue’s gallery.
The Skinny: Since the mid-60s, Batman was known to television audiences as a campy superhero character based on Adam West’s performance in the ABC series that aired from 1966 to 68. Even though the comics had long since gone away from that version of the Caped Crusader, the larger public still associated Batman, Robin, the Joker, and more with the show that had become a pop culture phenomenon in the ’60s and that had since been a fixture in syndication reruns. Frank Miller’s Dark Knight reboot of the character in the comics from the ’80s started to change public perception, though, and Tim Burton’s 1988 film became a huge hit at the Box Office as it emphasized the darker nature of the Batman. Then in early-90s, Batman: The Animated Series drew heavily from the newer comics and especially the Burton film (and its sequel) to bring a very different version of the character to the small screen than the one previously associated with West.
Like the Burton films, the animated series went with a heavily stylized look and feel, merging art deco and gothic architecture while also adding noir sensibilities. It went with a darker tone, but not to the point that it counted as an adult-animated show (it originally aired on Saturday mornings). Batman was no longer dead-panning witty quips and punching villains with “POW!” and “BAM!” appearing on screen. Instead, the show delivered a brooding and grim Dark Knight haunted by his past and determined to battle the criminal element in his city. But it also had broad appeal as it was aimed at kids and adults alike. One place where it did have similarities to the ’60s series was its use of the many colorful villains from DC’s rogue’s gallery. They were not as comic as the live-action versions, but they definitely brought life to the show and attracted named actors to the roles (i.e. Mark Hamill as Joker, John Glover as the Riddler, Adrienne Barbeau as Catwoman, Roddy McDowall as the Mad Hatter, and more).
In many ways, Batman: The Animated series launched a whole new animated franchise for the DC comics that is still going today. The show was followed by animated adaptations of Superman, The Justice League, Batman Beyond, Green Lantern, and more. Batman: TAS also generated its own continuations (see below) and remained a fixture on television for many years. It helped change the public’s perception of the character while also delivering an important animated entry that has gone on to be counted as a classic among superhero and sci fi TV shows.
Cancelled Too Soon? No. It originally aired for two seasons and 85 episodes which is a standard run for an animated series. The creative team moved on to other projects but would revisit the show with several spin-offs and revivals in the years that followed
Revival: When Batman: The Animated Series moved to The WB in 1997, the network wanted more episodes so they ordered a 24-ep run of The New Batman Adventures which is often tacked on to the original series in encore runs. 1999’s Batman Beyond brought back the same creative team and Kevin Conroy voicing an older Bruce Wayne as he mentored a younger replacement taking over the role of Gotham City’s protector. 2004’s The Batman brought in a mostly new cast and crew as this series focused primarily on the Dark Knight. 2008’s Batman: The Brave and the Bold brought back some of the campy feel of the ’60s series as the Dark Knight teamed up with other DC heroes. And quite a number of one-off animated films drew from the TAS version of the character over the years as well. More recently, Bruce Timm started working on the revival series Batman: Caped Crusader. HBO Max decided not to move forward with that one, but it is getting shopped around. Sadly, Kevin Conroy passed away this year, so he will not be involved if the show moves forward.
Interesting Facts: Over 150 voice actors were auditioned before Kevin Conroy was accepted for the lead role. He has since gone on to voice the character in The New Adventures of Batman, Batman Beyond, Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, and several other animated shows along with quite a number of the Batman animated movies. He got to play a live-action version of the character in the Arrow-verse Crisis on Infinite Earths event series.
Where Can You Watch It? The entire series has been released on DVD and Blu-ray. It is also currently available for streaming (along with many of its offshoots) on HBO Max.
Read More About the Show: Wikipedia | IMDb.com
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